In an interview with Le Monde, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns offered his opinion of Russia's reaction to the U.S. missile defense plan. As if the row couldn't get any more interesting, Burns poured gasoline on the entire affair and lit a cigarette. "The Russians need to review their information. And understand that they are not part of NATO, so they are not in a position to modify this project," he said.
That's Burns trying to be sublte. He understands that Moscow enjoys it when senior U.S. officials take the sensitive NATO issue and flaunt it publicly. We can't wait to see how the Russians will react.